Maybe Once in April
by Boxlo434
Summary: A collection of oneshots. Open to any suggestions!


**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm gonna lie...this is my first time ever writing something like this. I apologize if it's too cliché x.x I wrote this for two reasons: 1) there's something going on in my life that's similar to the story. 2) someone recently inspired me to start writing. Without further ado, here's my attempt at a fanfic. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I had writing it :)**

 _*Buzz...Buzz…Buzz…*_

The sound of a cellphone could be heard gently vibrating from the top of a nightstand. Within the span of minutes, the calm vibrating sound of the cellphone quickly escalated to a violent buzzing noise that appeared to never stop. Next to the nightstand, a boy, still in a state of deep slumber, groggily rolled over to grab his phone to check the cause of the commotion. Since the initial buzzing, a total of 35 text messages were sent before the noise had subsided. The boy, still lethargic from his sleep, carefully put on his glasses to read the string of text messages.

 _Kousei! Wake up it's already 11 :( Hurry up, I'm already waiting at the playground. Do you know often you come late?_

After the reading the text, Kousei, in a newfound state of awareness, immediately sat up and proceeded to frantically scan through the remainder of the sent text messages. Although the proceeding messages mirrored the same sentiment of the first message, Kousei could vaguely hear a small voice in his head that got progressively frustrated throughout each text. A small bead of sweat rolled down Kousei's face as he checked the current time on his phone: 11:30.

"Oh no," Kousei moaned, "she's never going to forgive me this time." Not wanting to be punished, Kousei paused for a brief moment to construct an apology that could sooth the wrath of his friend. With careful consideration and frantic fingers, Kousei quickly typed his apology and proceeded to get dressed for his excursion.

 _Sorry Kaori I overslept x.x I promise I'll buy you something later to make it up to you. Wait for me at the playground, I'll see you in 10 minutes!_

Wearing a comfortable blue t-shirt and black shorts, Kousei slipped on a pair of white tennis shoes and darted out of the house. It was a typical Spring day that was no different than other day—the air was crisp, the flowers were blooming, and the sun offered the perfect amount of heat. As Kousei was running to the park, he could help but sense a foreboding feeling that awaited him once he arrived. Turning the corner of the street, Kousei could see the playground, the place where he first met Kaori. Upon arriving at his destination, Kousei sat down at a nearby bench to catch his breath and scan for his bubbly friend. A quick glance around the park revealed no sign of Kaori, but an ominous feeling continued to plague Kousei. As if by magic, a dark figure slowly grew from Kousei's shadow and appeared to envelop the very space he was sitting. Fearing for the worst, Kousei closed his eyes and tilted his head skyward in anticipation of an unwanted surprise.

 _*Smack*_

"Kousei, you dummy! Do you know how late you are right now!?" Kaori exclaimed. When Kousei was scanning the park, Kaori already lied in wait behind him in a nearby bush. Wanting to surprise her friend, the tall and bubbly Kaori snuck up behind Kousei to give him a firm pat on the head as punishment for making her wait for almost an hour. Oblivious to Kaori, her firm pat on the head came at the exact moment when Kousei tilted his head upward, causing her hand to smack Kousei's face with a considerable amount of force.

"I'm sorry Kaori," Kousei said in a muffled murmur, "please get your hand off my face." Without missing a beat, raised her hand to reveal to Kousei a girl in a pink dress with her hair neatly tied up with in a simple ponytail. Although Kousei was blushing from the sight of his friend, the slap left a distinct red mark that hid his embarrassment.

"Kousei, you're going to pay for making me wait here for so long. Friend A's should never make someone wait," Kaori hissed with a small pout on her face. Kousei stood up his seat and tried to stop his blushing before he looked at Kaori. Although she sounded disappointed, Kousei could not help but smile when Kaori pouted—her face was always bright regardless of her mood.

"Okay, I get it," Kousei conceded, "let's go buy a snack before we head into town." Before Kaori could give a rebuttal, a familiar ringing sound echoed throughout the playground.

"ICE CREAM! Kousei, Kousei, Kousei you need to buy me ice cream!" Kaori demanded. "Because you were late, I demand that you give me FIVE ice cream cones! Come on Kousei! Go find the ice cream man before he disappears!" Wanting to emphasize her desire, Kaori inched closer to Kousei; she placed her hands on his weakening shoulders and shook Kousei with an impatient enthusiasm. Kousei, in a defeatist state, released an exhausted sigh and gave Kaori a look of approval.

"Please stay put. I don't want to go running around to go find you later," Kousei sighed. With a newfound bounce to his step, Kousei journeyed away from the park in search of the nearby ice cream man. As Kousei was exiting the park, he could not help but look at Kaori—a small girl with a big personality to compensate for her (literal) shortcomings. Although Kaori portrayed herself as slightly mean and demanding, Kousei hoped that the girl in a pink dress with her hair neatly tied up with a simple ponytail somewhat cared for him. After a few moments lost in thought, Kousei stopped looking at Kaori to follow the sound of an increasingly distant ringing.

The ice cream man was not far from the park when Kousei found him. When taking out his wallet from his pocket, Kousei groaned and hung his head in shame when he realized that he barely had any money left. Kousei bought two single scoop strawberry ice cream cones and began his trek back to the playground. The already sweltering Spring day appeared to get even hotter as Kousei inched his way closer and closer to his final destination. Just like the beads of sweat that rolled off of Kousei's face, small trickles of a creamy concoction followed suit and left behind a trail of strawberry goodness. Despite the presence of the melting treat, Kousei showed no signs of alarm as he was lost in thought once more.

 _I can't believe I woke up so late today…maybe she hates me now…maybe if I just tell her I had an emergency this morning…maybe she'll forgive me…I hate it when she's mad at me…I'm going to get an earful when she finds out I only bought her one ice cream…maybe she'll forgive me if I give her mine…maybe she'll forgive me if I do something else…maybe…maybe she'll just leave me now…_

Kousei's train of thought was ruined by an unfamiliar sensation that fell on his hand—the ice cream. Seeing the playground in sight, Kousei broke out into a sprint that would have put an Olympic runner to shame. Upon arriving at the playground, Kousei sees Kaori still standing in the same position as when he left her. Running immediately to her side, Kousei stuck out his hand and proffered Kaori a half-melted strawberry ice cream cone. At the sight of the ice cream cone, Kaori's face lit up like a child receiving a gift on Christmas.

"Strawberry! You remembered my favorite flavor!" Kaori exclaimed with extra exuberance. "Come on Kousei, let's sit down and eat our ice cream before we head into town." Kousei, still sweaty and sticky, let out a sigh of relief; he was grateful that Kaori didn't notice the lack of ice cream cones. Smiling ear-to-ear, Kousei sat next to Kaori on the bench to enjoy his melted treat. Just as Kousei opened his mouth to taste his treat, a barely audible sound came from the ground.

 _*Plop*_

On the ground, there laid a half-melted scoop of strawberry ice cream. As if by a flick of a switch, Kousei's smile immediately turned into a look of fear. Once more, beads of sweat rolled off rolled off Kousei's face just like the small trickles of creamy concoction that flowed into the gravel and dirt. Kousei's horrified face slowly turned towards Kaori to see her usual reaction of shock and disappointment. To his surprise, Kaori's face showed no emotion. With her head facing downward, Kaori seemed to be transfixed on her dropped ice cream. Unsure with what to do, Kousei stared at Kaori to see what she would do next. Just as Kousei opened his mouth to offer his words of condolences, Kaori spoke.

"Kousei," Kaori started, "why can't good things last forever?" Kaori lifted her head to face Kousei, and she gave him a lifeless stare that seemed to beckon for help. "I was just thinking…maybe all good things in life are like my ice cream: something very sweet and filled with promise. We're always so happy when we first get something good, but eventually something always happens to it. In the end, aren't we the reason why ice cream doesn't last forever? If you never bought that ice cream, it wouldn't be on the ground right now. If we just leave good things alone, then it'll never disappear. Kousei, why should we get close to something good to just have it taken away from us eventually?"

A silence began to envelop the playground. As if time had stopped, Kousei looked at Kaori to see if her expression would change. Seeing her emotionless face, Kousei hoped to himself that Kaori would start to smile and she would go back to hitting him to get more ice cream. To Kousei's dismay, Kaori looked down to the ground once more. The more Kousei stared at Kaori, the depressing mood appeared to encroach more of his heart. Out of all the thought that were racing through his head, a single tainted thought entered Kousei's mind that broke the silence of the playground—maybe Kaori was like the ice cream too. With his hands still clenched around the ice cream cone, Kousei, still shocked from the ice cream dropping, took a deep breath and let his emotions dictate his actions.

A half-melted ice cream cone suddenly appeared in Kaori's face. Kaori lifted up her head to see a blushing Kousei. Just as Kaori was about to push away the ice cream cone, Kousei took another deep breath and began to speak.

"You're right," Kousei whispered, "nothing in this life lasts forever. However, that doesn't mean you can't be happy. A gentle breeze passes through the park and envelops the air, warmed by the harsh rays of the sun. In an effort to find more strength, Kousei clenched his free hand with all his might and began to speak with a newfound conviction.

"Good things may disappear, but they will never be truly lost. In your memories…in your heart…that's where you'll remember them. Just like this moment…I don't want this moment to go away, but I know that eventually it has to end. That's why…I'm going to give you my ice cream. I don't care how many ice cream cones it takes…I'll buy more so that you always have an ice cream. If you drop it, I'll buy you another one; If you finish it, I'll buy you another one; If you throw it away, I'll buy you another one. I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy…as long as…you don't forget me."

Although the silence was broken, no words followed Kousei's words. Kousei darted his head down and stared at the melted ice cream on the ground to hide his embarrassment. More thoughts raced through Kousei's mind as he contemplated his failure as a friend for saying all those things to Kaori.

 _I didn't do it…I can't help her…I shouldn't have said anything in the first place…I made it so awkward…I just wanted to be there for her…I just don't want to lose her…_

Kousei's thoughts were interrupted by the presence of the ice cream vanishing from his hand. Lifting up his head, Kousei saw a girl in a pink dress with her hair neatly tied up with in a simple ponytail eating a half-melted ice cream. Kaori, with a demeanor that gave off warmth and hope, looked at Kousei and gave him a small smile.

"Kousei," Kaori started, "will you really buy me more ice cream?"

"I promise Kaori." Kousei looked up at Kaori to return a smile.

"Kousei, what if we stop talking? Will you still buy me ice cream?" Kaori looked at Kousei with a face of disappointment; she anticipated that he wouldn't promise something that was impossible. Kousei sighed and gave Kaori the answer that they both wanted to hear: "Always."

 **A/N: Thanks for reading :) Please let me know what you thought of it. To C...thanks for the inspiration, I hope you liked it.**


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